Laser-run was conceived during 2015 in an effort to increase international interest in modern pentathlon by enabling athletes to overcome difficulties regarding technologies and equipment needed to compete.

The format sees athletes take part in a running and laser-pistol shooting event, which the UIPM claims provides dynamic racing.

Two World Championships have already been staged, in French city Perpignan in 2015 and Portugal’s capital Lisbon last year, with the latter attracting 421 athletes from 22 countries.

This year’s edition is scheduled to take place in South Africa’s capital Cape Town and the UIPM claims the brand awareness of laser-run is growing.

At its Congress in November of last year, the world governing body approved the incorporation of the terminology into modern pentathlon.

Laser-run has thus replaced the combined event as the official name for the run and shoot event. 

Plans for an inaugural Urban Games featuring 17 sports were unveiled in 2014 only to be shelved following the resignation of SportAccord President Marius Vizer in 2015 after his criticism of the International Olympic Committee prompted a flood of withdrawals.

The Games had been expected to take place sometime after Rio 2016 and showcase a "mixture of professional sport and urban culture with a unique blend of old and new discipline".

Their revival is currently the subject of a working group seeking to turn it into a manageable proposition with a sustainable future.

If successful, Baumann says laser-run would be a "natural fit" for his vision of the future of the Urban Games.

"It’s fair to say that laser-run is a concept with a lot of future potential and one that is very accessible," said the Swiss, who is also an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and secretary general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

"I haven’t seen laser-run in isolation yet but from watching the big modern pentathlon events, I understand the concept and I believe it has been successful as a sport in its own right and is already really mature.

"For an organiser, you don’t have to think about horse riding, swimming and fencing, so I think the laser-run is probably a very simple way to get to people.

"You can bring it to people and you can do that in a very innovative way.

"We have a working group that is considering what is the core of an Urban Games, and what is necessary to make it sustainable?

"Sustainable means that we will have hosts without difficulties and it’s not going to be an impossible task to find hosts for the Urban Games.

"We also need to include new innovations, because it’s not about just sticking with the status quo.

"We need to find novelties that could help, by bringing added value, but also that work on their own as a standalone thing.

"When you look at marathon, and triathlon - as long as there is water it can take place in a city - I think laser-run is a very simple addition to that mix.

"It just fits, so it’s quite natural."

Asked about his vision for the Urban Games, Baumann said he is of the opinion that they should be held over a long weekend.

"If it is done over an extended weekend, there is no reason why it should not happen every year," he added.

"If it is the right size, the organisational model can be easily taken from city to city.

"The core package stays in your luggage and you take it with you.

"There are other federations that are working very well like this. 

"My federation, basketball, has 3x3 and we are in a different city every weekend during the summer.

"But if we do it well, it could be a good thing to have once a year.

"And the second thing is that if SportAccord can pull it off, it’s going to be a good test for the urban cluster at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where climbing and skateboarding will be.

"There is an ambition to bring sport to the people where they are, in the city, instead of bringing the people to the stadiums."